Hours of Service

In the last week, NTTC made two filings with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. On August 23, 2018 FMCSA published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking(ANPRM) in the Federal Register. FMCSA is considering several changes to the hours of service regulations and the ANPRM asks for public feedback about whether and how FMCSA should make those changes. The four areas under consideration are the short haul exception, the inclement weather exception, the 30-minute rest break requirement, and the split-sleeper berth rules.

In the ANPRM, FMCSA asks for comment by September 24, 2018. NTTC believes that 30 days is too short to properly solicit our members’ opinions about such a major issue. Accordingly, on August 27, 2018 NTTC filed for an extension of the comment period until November 13, 2018.That gives NTTC and two other major trucking associations holding events between September 24 and November 13 the opportunity to receive in-person feedback on the ANPRM. Several other organizations have also asked for extensions. Although we believe some extension will likely be granted, we will operate as if comments must be received by September 24 until we hear otherwise.

NTTC is working to solicit feedback from our membership on the proposal. We are first incorporating direction from the Executive Committee at its recent meeting in Vail. After that, we will work with the NTTC Safety & Security Council to develop parameters for our responses. Once that has been distilled, NTTC will share a rough draft with the membership as a whole for comment. Anyone who wishes to be more involved in the process or to share in-depth thoughts shouldemail Boyd Stephenson.

Groendyke Brake Lamp Support

On August 29, 2018 NTTC submitted comments supporting an exemption request filed by NTTC member Groendyke Transport. Groendykehas requestedthat the FMCSA exempt it from a prohibition against pulsating brake lights on the rear-end of trailers that are not emergency vehicles. In its application, Groendyke demonstrated that granting the exemption could reduce rear-end collisions by one-third. NTTC supported the request, asking the FMCSA to expand the grant to any carrier that wishes to install such devices. We also asked that FMCSA move immediately to change its Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations to adopt this change into the written rules.

The fall of 2018 promises to be a busy time for NTTC. Hours of service changes are currently under consideration. FMSCA is likely to also examine ELD and CSA-related matters. NTTC is a member-driven organization, and your feedback on our actions is essential if we are to effectively represent you in front of the agency and on Capitol Hill. We encourage members to reach out to us at any time to provide your feedback and suggestions.